Chapter 21
“Are you sure?” Duan Yang’s face was clouded with anger in the break room.
Yu Lin didn’t look much better. “Yes. The old man met with Lawyer Chen for a long time yesterday, and then Ling Sicheng showed up at the hospital last night. It’s definitely not a coincidence.”
“I told you that guy is playing hard to get!” Duan Yang ground his teeth, slamming a fist onto the nearby coffee table. The cups on it clattered, and one fell, shattering into pieces on the floor.
Hearing the commotion, the assistant rushed in, concern etched on his face. “Yang Ge, are you—”
“Get out!” Duan Yang shot him a fierce glare, his voice sharp and commanding.
The assistant’s face turned pale, and he hurriedly apologized before retreating and closing the door behind him.
Yu Lin watched in silence, not daring to say a word as he hoped the storm wouldn’t sweep him up in its wake.
Duan Yang was incredibly polite and gentlemanly around strangers, always striving to maintain his image. But around people he knew well, especially those close to him, he had a tendency to lash out, disregarding where the blame actually lay.
Fortunately, he seemed to be keeping his cool for the moment, aware that losing his temper wouldn’t solve anything.
“So Ling Sicheng is being uncooperative?” Duan Yang asked.
Yu Lin nodded. “Even when the old man reaches out, he almost always refuses to meet. Forget about us; I’ve tried to contact him several times recently, and I can’t even get through.”
Duan Yang pondered for a moment, then sighed. “We still need to find Shen Yan; he’s the key to this problem. That jerk! He’s completely useless and only causing me trouble. If I find him, I swear I’ll—”
He suddenly paused, catching himself mid-sentence as he realized the absurdity of his own frustration. He glared at Yu Lin. “I pay you a hefty salary; how can you not handle such a simple task? I expect news about Shen Yan within a week, or don’t blame me for forgetting our old friendship!”
With that, he stormed out, fuming.
Yu Lin rubbed his temples, exhaling a heavy sigh. I’m just an agent in the entertainment industry; how am I supposed to help you navigate the intricacies of a wealthy family?
Yet, grumbling about it wouldn’t help. Duan Yang had a point; after all, he paid him quite well, and the adult world was undeniably pragmatic.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Lin steeled himself to get back to work.
But he truly hadn’t expected the usually quiet and unobtrusive Shen Yan to run away from home. It was evident how deep Shen Yan’s feelings for Duan Yang ran; he had even tolerated seeing Duan Yang with Shen Jiaqi. What could possibly be more intolerable than that?
Yet here he was, seemingly vanishing without a trace, like he had evaporated into thin air.
Duan Yang’s side forbade reporting it to the police, and now he’d given a stern order. Yu Lin realized he might need to take some unconventional measures.
Late August rains brought a hint of early autumn chill.
Su Yunzhe’s car drove along the coastal road for half an hour before stopping in front of a school.
“Yucai Middle School?”
Shen Yan stepped out with his umbrella, glancing at the sign at the entrance.
“Is this your alma mater, President Su?” he asked, turning back to Su Yunzhe.
Su Yunzhe exited the car but didn’t bother with an umbrella. The rain wasn’t heavy, but the dampness was uncomfortable.
Shen Yan walked around to share his umbrella, although it was tiring to hold it up for someone taller than him.
Su Yunzhe took the umbrella from him with ease. “Let’s go inside.”
No outside vehicles were allowed on campus, so they had to walk in.
The security guard at the school seemed very familiar with Su Yunzhe, allowing them to enter the grounds without any registration.
Yucai Middle School looked like it had a rich history. The towering sycamore trees lined the main path, their dense canopies indicating their age.
Shen Yan enjoyed the atmosphere, stepping on the fallen leaves that had been beaten down by the rain. He laughed, “President Su, weren’t you always skipping class and getting into fights in high school? Who would have thought you’d come back to visit your teachers?”
Su Yunzhe didn’t respond but pulled him closer under the umbrella.
The ten-yuan umbrella Shen Yan had bought at the subway station was quite small; it was manageable for one person but cramped for two.
Fortunately, the rain wasn’t heavy, and the sycamore trees provided some cover, so they weren’t getting too wet.
However, Shen Yan couldn’t help but stomp on the fallen leaves, inadvertently stepping outside the umbrella’s protection.
Clearly annoyed, Su Yunzhe tightened his grip around Shen Yan’s waist to keep him from wandering off.
The light summer clothing felt too thin, and Shen Yan squirmed uncomfortably at the contact. “Uh, I won’t move anymore.”
Su Yunzhe raised an eyebrow at him, feigning innocence as if he didn’t understand.
Shen Yan’s face turned dark, just as he was about to ask him to let go when a kind and cheerful voice reached his ears.
“I knew you would come today! What was the point of running over when you said everything was fine?”
Shen Yan turned to follow the voice and saw a kindly-looking elder standing under the archway, holding an umbrella and smiling brightly at them.
So this is the teacher Su Yunzhe came to see? Shen Yan thought.
Su Yunzhe quickly led him over, his expression softening. “Why are you two out here? Come inside. Is Grandpa’s leg alright? Grandma, you need to keep an eye on him; don’t let him do whatever he wants!”
As he spoke, Su Yunzhe handed the umbrella to Shen Yan and moved forward to support the elderly man.
Grandpa and Grandma?
Shen Yan nearly blurted out “teacher,” but quickly swallowed the words, surprised to see Su Yunzhe with the elderly couple.
Who would have thought?
It was hard to imagine someone from a wealthy family like Su Yunzhe having grandparents living in such modest quarters at the school staff housing.
But…
Shen Yan recalled his own grandparents, who, despite everyone’s advice, insisted on living in their old house from their youth. They claimed they couldn’t bear to leave behind the neighbors they had known for years or the familiar old things in their home.
Maybe Su Yunzhe’s grandparents were just as nostalgic.
Lost in thought, Shen Yan forgot to greet them as Su Yunzhe’s grandmother ushered them inside, pushing him onto the sofa and handing him various fruits and snacks, while firing off a barrage of questions.
“What’s your name, dear? How old are you? Where are you from? What do your parents do? How many siblings do you have?”
Shen Yan: “…”
He felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, as if he were the first girlfriend brought home by the grandson, being subjected to a flurry of inquiries about his background and family, as if they wanted to trace his ancestry back through eighteen generations.
He involuntarily glanced at Su Yunzhe, who was focused on helping the old man with his legs, attentively lowering his head and seemingly oblivious to the strange conversation happening beside them.
Shen Yan sighed inwardly, realizing he had to fend for himself.
“Um, I’m Shen Yan. You can call me Xiao Shen…”
“Yanyan, right? What a lovely name! And you’re quite pretty too. Here, try this; I just bought it this morning, and it’s so sweet.”
Shen Yan’s mind was still wrestling with how to address her. After all, calling her “Grandma” right away felt like it would mislead people about his relationship with Su Yunzhe. But what else could he call her? It wouldn’t be right to call her “President Su’s grandmother,” would it?
Before he could decide, the elder had already affectionately called him by his nickname and pressed a peeled apple into his hand, her eyes sparkling with delight.
“Thank you… Grandma.” Faced with that kind of warmth, Shen Yan felt that not calling her “Grandma” would be a sin.
Well, if he had to call her that, then so be it! It wasn’t a big deal.
After all, Su Yunzhe would naturally explain things to them.
With that thought, he felt much less burdened, and calling them “Grandpa” and “Grandma” started to flow more easily. Besides the barrage of questions, the two elders were quite amiable.
The grandmother enthusiastically engaged him in conversation and offered him snacks, while the grandfather pulled Su Yunzhe into a game of chess, pouting when he lost, which prompted Su Yunzhe to patiently coax him back to happiness.
At lunchtime, Su Yunzhe’s father arrived.
Father and son shared a common trait: neither of them liked using umbrellas. When Su Mubai walked in, his hair was soaked, and his white shirt clung to him.
Seeing this, the grandmother quickly ushered him into the bathroom to take a shower and change.
Shen Yan sidled up next to Su Yunzhe, nudging his arm, and whispered, “Your dad looks so young!”
Su Yunzhe was already twenty-eight, so his father must be at least fifty. Yet Su Mubai, dressed in a white shirt and wearing frameless glasses, appeared to be in his forties and was quite handsome.
But then again, wealthy people tended to take great care of themselves. Shen Yan’s own father looked no older than forty and was especially good-looking.
Su Yunzhe raised an eyebrow at him, a teasing smirk on his lips. “What are you planning to call him?”
Shen Yan was puzzled. “Um… Uncle? Older Brother? The boss’s dad?”
Su Yunzhe chuckled, “Why aren’t you following my lead this time?”
Shen Yan paused, then realized what he meant. His cheeks flushed as he rolled his eyes at him and quickly slipped into the kitchen to help the grandmother serve the dishes.
